Playing ball



F. R. EDEN PLAYING BALL I Dec. 27, 1927.

Filed Oct. 23. 1923 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

runners R; EDEN, or nonrcnara nnw JEnsEiz,

PLAYING BALL.

Application fi led 0 ctober23; 1923. Serial No. 670,231. r

My invention relatesuto playing balls and particularly to improvements practice or imitation golf balls, i i a The objects of my improvement are, first, to provide a short-flight or imitation golf ball adapted to: be used in, practicingstrokes second, a practice ball which, whileeimula ing the size and appearance of" a regulation standard golf ball, shall be so light, that its momentum when. driven will be slight and its ballistic force inconsequential; third, a;

practice ball, as described, which shall have an exterior sufficiently rigid to produce the feel upon impact with a club-face that is afforded by agolf ball; fourth, a ball which may be putted without deformation of the exterior casing and also may be driven without injury thereto; fifth, a ball which, when putted, will roll true and when driven will fly true for the short distances obtainable therewith; and finally, the production of a ball havin the characteristics described at comparatively low cost.

The foregoing and further objects hereinafter more specifically pointed out are attained by my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which Fig. 1 represents a playing ball adapted for practice golf, a part being cut away to show the cover and sub-structure, comprising a spherical hollow core surrounded by a built-up body consisting of layers of paper tape Wound thereabout and a binding layer of stringor the like wound thereover; and Fig. 2 shows a strip of the criinped, crinkled or corrugated paper preferably used to form the body of the ball. Like reference characters indicate the same parts in the views, in which 1 is the core, preferably hollow, as shown; 2 is a strip of paper, preferably of crepe stock, which may be pinked as shown in Figure 2 along its edges; 3 is a winding of light cotton thread or string; and 4: is the outer shell, preferably of molded gutta percha or the like, or other suitable casing.

The process of manufacture and assembly of the parts and their preferred dimensions and treatment, are as follows: A spherical core of cellulose fiber is formed in any suitable manner of such size and density that its weight will be substantially that of the outer casing of the ball, or in such predetermined ratio thereto as may be necessary to afford the desired balance between them; to attain this balance, the core may be hollow or solid;

about this core, lSeWTOlilld paper tape, the tape end being glued to the core preferably by a. wateroof adhesive which isa-pplied to the underside of the tape as it isprogres sively wound in amount sufficient to cause adherence without saturation of the: paper strip This tape is; preferably of such quale ity of stock as to afford maximumresistance to tearing or breaking with mimimulrr weight;this tapei-s; preferably. of: the stools known as crepe, or the. like, presenting an irregular surface, so tllfizttlS wound will be entrapped between adjacent layers; fuss their, this tape may be; pinked-for so serratedas to conform to the spherical core as wound, preserving the true globular form as nearly as may be; the ball as thus far built up is then baked until dried throughout. About the paper layer is next wound a single layer of light cotton string, thread or tape, this layer when applied being coated with rubber, cement or the like, until a smooth surface is obtained adapted to nest snugly within the hemispheres of the gutta percha or the like casing in the usual manner of manufacture. The usual standard golf ball casing may be applied to the ball as thus built up, or the cementitious rubber coating may be built up by repeated dipping until the desired diameter is attained, the ball as thus coated being pressed in an embossing mold topattern it as desired, the ball as thus completed being again baked or otherwise dried or curved.

The ball thus constructed has the appear ance of a golf ball of regulation requirements, and conforms thereto save in weight, its weight being approximately one-third of such standard ball. Its characteristics when struck are those of the regulation ball except in the distance travelled by it under impact. It rolls true on the green and flies true through the air, but by Virtue of its lesser mass, its momentum is comparatively slight. It has the rigidity desired for putting and the elasticity desired for driving; and its life is substantially that ofa standard golf 7 ball of superior make.

While I have thus described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be on derstood that the desired objects as first set forth are attained by a ball in which the body is composed of a winding of paper tape adapted by the surface configuration of the paper to form interstices, between the adjacent windings, of such magnitude that a multiplicity of air cells are formed theretrained affording the resilient QTY erally desired and attained in the standard ball for the respective forces of putting and drivingstrokes, so that the feel of my practice ball upon the club head at impact is substantially normal and practically identical withr the feel of a standard golf ball on the clubs face.

, While I have specified crepe paper, or the like crinkly surfaced, crimpedor corrugated paper as affording the interspaces between layers adapted to form air-pockets, it is within the contemplation of my invention to e1nploy asmeans adapted to attain this result, a paper of porous texture, such as yoshino or so-called Japanese dental paper, whose cellular structure similarly serves to afford the air-pockets and to entrap air therein when wound upon itself, the air thus encharacteristic sought.

2. In a practice ball for golf, a body combsed of a strip of porous paper wound upon itself in spherical form, an adhesive coating between adjacent windings, a fibrous wrapping layer thereover, and a cover therefor.

3. In a practice ball forigolf, a body composed of a cellulose core, a multiplicity of windings of crepe paper thereabout, a fibrous winding over said windings, and a cover therefor.

4. In a practice ball for golf a cellular core, a body thereabout composed of concentric layers of paper, a layer of cotton thread thereover, and a cover therefor.

FRANCIS n. EDEN. 

